Guidance

Taking Teaching Further 2026: programme guidance

Published 12 June 2026

Applies to England

Overview

This guidance explains:

• what the Taking Teaching Further (TTF) programme is and what it will fund
• eligibility criteria that must be met
• how and when providers can register to the TTF programme

You should read this guidance in full before registering to the programme. If you have any questions, contact the TTF team at TTF.Enquiries@education.gov.uk.

What is Taking Teaching Further?

Taking Teaching Further provides funding to help further education (FE) providers recruit and provide early career support to those with the relevant knowledge or industry experience to retrain as FE teachers.

TTF is a 2-year programme, with either £15,200 or £21,200 per recruit available to providers, depending on the teaching route undertaken and, therefore, the funding option utilised.

Funding covers 2 years and must be used to cover the cost of an early career support package to help new teaching recruits take either:

• an Ofqual-regulated level 5, or higher, classroom-based teaching qualification, such as the Diploma in Teaching (FE and Skills) (DiT)
• the Learning and Skills Teacher (LST) apprenticeship

If the new teacher is undertaking a level 5, or higher, teaching qualification, this must be funded through TTF. They must also receive early career support. For those undertaking the LST apprenticeship, the apprenticeship will be funded through the growth and skills levy, and TTF funding must be used to provide additional early career support.

Funding is available to providers who recruit candidates with the relevant knowledge or industry experience to teach across the 15 publicly funded technical routes. These routes have been aligned to T Levels and the Skills England approved technical qualifications.

Funding is also available to support recruits who will teach English, maths, or science, or for recruits who will provide support to students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

You must register to the programme to request TTF places.

If your college is part of a college group, registration must be done at group level by the college with a direct relationship with the Department for Education (DfE).

The registration form will ask you to notify us of:

• how many places you expect to need, and can support, for the 2026 to 2027 financial year
• how many recruits will undertake the LST apprenticeship
• how many recruits will undertake a level 5, or higher, teaching qualification

There is no guarantee that your request for TTF places will be fully met, as places are subject to availability. It is therefore vital that you register to the programme as soon as you can.

In TTF 2026:

• if you are a statutory FE provider (FE college, sixth-form college, land-based college, institute of adult learning (IAL)), initial allocations will be limited to a maximum of 2 places per provider

• if you are a non-statutory provider (independent training provider (ITP), local authority provider, employer provider, third sector training provider, adult and community learning provider, and specialist post-16 institution (SPI)), places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis

For all providers, the registration portal will ask you what your 2-place requirements are and whether you would like to express interest in additional places should they become available. These requests will be considered subject to availability.

A reserve list will be generated. Allocation may be made to those on the list if places become available.

Note there is no guarantee that additional places will become available.

Subjects supported under TTF

Technical routes

TTF funding is available to help providers recruit and provide early career support to those with the relevant knowledge or industry experience to retrain as an FE teacher across any of the following 15 publicly funded technical teaching routes:

• agriculture, environmental and animal care
• business and administration
• care services
• catering and hospitality
• construction and the built environment
• creative and design
• digital
• education and childcare
• engineering and manufacturing
• hair and beauty
• health and science
• legal, finance, and accounting
• protective services
• sales, marketing, and procurement
• transport and logistics

These routes have been aligned to T Levels and the Skills England approved technical qualifications. However, TTF is not limited to providers delivering T Levels.

English, maths and science

In addition to supporting providers with technical recruitment, we want to help providers recruit of teachers in some publicly-funded academic subjects that underpin many of the technical subject areas.

TTF funding is available to recruits with relevant knowledge or experience who have been recruited to teach English, maths or science (biology, chemistry or physics).

Relevant experience will be determined by the providers, but could include lawyers, office workers or managers, budget managers, credit controllers, scientists, or laboratory assistants, although this list is not exhaustive.

Special educational needs and disabilities

The SEND code of practice places additional duties on providers to support learners with complex needs, so we want to support providers with the recruitment of SEND specialists.

TTF funding is available to recruits with relevant SEND knowledge or experience, or those with industry experience who want to support learners with complex needs into employment, who have been recruited to a SEND specialist teaching role.

Relevant experience will be determined by the providers, but could include teaching assistants for children with special needs, social workers, psychologists, or counsellors, although this list is not exhaustive.

TTF funding options

TTF funding:

• help providers address challenges around the cost of a recruit achieving occupational competency
• helps to create capacity for new recruits to learn and receive training and on-the-job support

If the recruit has a permanent contract and meets the eligibility criteria, you can access one of two funding options, depending on which is most suitable for you and the recruit.

TTF funding is not available to recruits on a contract that is:

• temporary
• under 0.5 full-time equivalent (FTE)

You can access both TTF options to allow you to tailor support to best suit you and the recruits.

Level 5, or higher, teaching qualification option

This option provides £21,200 per recruit to cover the costs of:

• the recruit undertaking a level 5, or higher, classroom-based teaching qualification (such as a DiT), up to a maximum of £9,790 across both years. Delivery of the qualification cannot be solely online - it must be classroom based, or a hybrid delivery model that includes live online lessons and some face-to-face learning
• providing the recruit with early career support, which must include a reduced teaching timetable - this will be paid at a maximum rate of £55 per hour

Early career support must include a reduced teaching timetable.

We are flexible on the other elements that make up the package of support, such as providing a buddy system or mentoring support for the new teacher.

We recognise that not all recruits will be immediately ready to undertake a level 5 qualification. In these circumstances, the early career support could include introductory learning before undertaking the teaching qualification.

Table 1 sets out in more detail the breakdown of funding available for the teaching qualification option.

The provider of the level 5 qualification cannot charge the cost of the 2 years tuition up front. Providers can claim a single year’s tuition fees per year. Both years cannot be paid in the first year. The maximum paid will be equivalent to the actual cost of delivering the qualification.

Table 1: level 5 teaching qualification option

Funding	Year 1 (ends 31 March 2027	Year 2 (ends 31 March 2028
Funding must be used to cover the costs of: - level 5, or higher, teaching qualification, such as DiT - early career support, which must include a reduced teaching timetable and other activities, such as a buddy system, mentoring support, or introductory learning	£14,450	£6,750
Total (per recruit)	£14,450	£6,750
Grand total (per recruit)	-	£21,200

Any enrolment for the qualification aspect of TTF must allow for achievement of all aspects of the LST occupational standard.

This may be:

• the DiT (FE and skills), if using an Ofqual-regulated qualification (Note that the DET is now obsolete and will not be funded)
• an initial teacher education (ITE) qualification offered by higher education providers with degree-awarding powers at levels 5, 6 or 7 - for example the Certificate in Education

Teaching qualification guidance

From academic year 2026 to 2027 onward, all providers of specified FE initial teacher education (ITE) courses must comply with The Further Education (Initial Teacher Training) Regulations 2026. This means that where training commences on or after 1 September 2026, FE ITE providers delivering the ITE element of TTF must:

• register with DfE prior to each academic year
• have regard to curriculum content guidance
• have regard to guidance on course delivery
• submit data to DfE

Where the ITE element of TTF 2026 delivery begins before 1 September 2026, providers are not required to meet each of these requirements.

However, it is strongly suggested that providers consider all aspects of the curriculum content and delivery guidance.

You should have evidence that your curriculum:

• allows trainees to meet all the requirements of the LST occupational standard
• is high quality and ambitious
• is differentiated for and appropriate to the subjects the trainee will teach, and the level at which they are studying

You should also have evidence that your trainees:

• experience a rigorous curriculum that prepares them to teach their subject in the sector
• have knowledge and understanding of a relevant range of theoretical approaches, teaching techniques and skills, in line with current evidence-based best practice across the sector relevant to their subject
• learn and use the most effective approaches to teaching, learning and assessment
• learn the principles and practice of effective curriculum design, including the selection and sequencing of curriculum content, especially in relation to their subject specialism

All providers of publicly funded ITE (including programmes delivered as part of TTF) are in scope for inspection by Ofsted under the current ITE framework. You should consider working with an established provider of ITE programmes who will have the necessary quality assurance processes in place.

Where a TTF provider wishes to deliver a “standalone” ITE programme (for example, using qualifications offered by awarding organisations, such as the DiT, or where a provider has its own degree-awarding powers), they should ensure that they are able to meet the expectations for high-quality ITE set out by both DfE and Ofsted. The FE ITE website provides more information on the requirements.

Email FE.ITE@education.gov.uk if you have any queries.

LST apprenticeship option

For those undertaking the LST apprenticeship, this will be funded through the growth and skills levy. Providers will need to make arrangements for this in line with the existing processes and funding rules for apprenticeships.

TTF 2026 will provide £15,200 per recruit to cover the cost of early career support, which must include a reduced teaching timetable. paid at a maximum rate of £55 per hour.

Early career support must include a reduced teaching timetable,

We are flexible on the other elements that make up the package of support, such as a buddy system or mentoring support for the new teacher.

Table 2: breakdown of funding available for the LST apprenticeship option

Funding	Year 1 (ends 31 March 2027	Year 2 (ends 31 March 2028
TTF funding must be used to cover the costs of: - early career support, which must include a reduced teaching timetable and other activities such as a buddy system, mentoring support or introductory learning.	£11,450	£3,750
Total (per recruit)	£11,450	£3,750
Grand total (per recruit)		£15,200

Ineligible expenditure

Activities are not eligible for TTF 2026 expenditure:

• buying tangible items and assets, such as furniture, IT equipment, learning materials and individual items such as stationery
• financial incentives
• activities that are funded from other sources
• marketing or recruitment costs, such as job adverts, job fairs, Disclosure and Barring Service checks
• events, functions, or travel and subsistence

This is not an exhaustive list. Email ttf.enquiries@education.gov.uk if you are uncertain if any of your proposed activities are suitable for TTF 2026 .

Eligibility criteria

Certain eligibility requirements must be met to access TTF funding.

Providers are considered eligible if they have a direct relationship with DfE and are a general FE college, sixth-form college, land-based college, IAL, or public or private sector FE provider in England and in receipt of at least one of the following funding streams or programmes that have funding attached:

• 16 to 19 study programme (or up to age 25 with an education, health, and care (EHC) plan)
• adult skills fund

If your college is part of a college group, registration must be done at group level by the college with a direct relationship with DfE.

Providers who are not in receipt of at least one of these funding streams but are registered as a main provider on the apprenticeship provider and assessment register (APAR) are also considered eligible for TTF funding.

Non-statutory providers (ITPs, employer providers, third sector training providers, adult and community learning providers, SPIs) who have been inspected by Ofsted and received a grading of urgent improvement or an inadequate finance rating from DfE are not eligible for TTF funding.

Ofsted no longer issues a single overall effectiveness grade and instead assesses providers on several evaluation areas using a 5‑point scale of Exceptional, Strong Standard, Expected Standard, Needs Attention, and Urgent Improvement.

Those that have not yet been inspected under the new framework remain subject to the previous requirement, where those with an overall effectiveness of inadequate are not eligible for funding.

Recruit eligibility

While your own recruitment processes should determine whether recruits are of suitable quality or calibre to be effective FE teachers, recruits must meet certain criteria to be eligible for TTF funding:

• be new to teaching, which means the recruit does not hold a level 5, or higher, teaching qualification and has not previously been in a substantive teaching position. For example, they must not have previously been in a role where their main role included general teaching duties such as lesson planning, creation of learning materials, delivering a curriculum or lesson, and assessing or grading students’ work
• started in post between 1 February 2026 and 31 January 2027
• have, or be working towards, a level 2 qualification in English and maths
• have a level 3 qualification, or adequate industry experience, in their subject area. Providers can use their discretion when considering a trainee’s experience, including relevant professional experience, to determine whether their subject knowledge is sufficiently robust to allow them to teach their chosen subject
• be recruited to a permanent role on a minimum of 0.5 FTE
• be recruited to a face-to-face teaching role, or a role with a hybrid delivery model that includes live online lessons and some face-to-face teaching
• be recruited to one of the eligible subject areas or disciplines
• be teaching a minimum of a recognised level 2 qualification (excluding those recruited to a SEND specialist teaching role) - they can teach a recognised level 1 qualification in the first year of TTF if it is guaranteed they will teach a recognised level 2 qualification throughout the 2 years of TTF 2026

Individuals may be eligible, subject to meeting the other eligibility criteria, if they have undertaken some ad hoc teaching that does not exceed 1 year in length across all occasions, including in the following roles:

• teaching assistants or other roles that supported a teacher
• PhD students who undertook some teaching activities as part of their studies
• individuals who carried out ad hoc teaching on a limited basis

Teacher training qualification criteria

For the teacher training qualification to be eligible for TTF funding it:

• must be an Ofqual-regulated DiT, or equivalent higher education institution (HEI) qualification at level 5, 6 or 7
• cannot be solely online – it must be classroom-based or a hybrid delivery model that includes live online lessons and some face-to-face learning

Apprenticeship criteria

For the apprenticeship route to be eligible for TTF funding, it must be:

• a level 5 LST apprenticeship
• delivered by an approved provider as listed on find an apprenticeship

Questions and clarification

Email TTF.Enquiries@education.gov.uk if you have any queries about the TTF offer, whether your recruit meets the eligibility criteria or if some eligibility criteria cannot be met but you feel there are special circumstances we should consider.

How and when to register your interest in TTF

Providers who wish to take part in TTF 2026 need to complete a Taking Teaching Further 2026: registration form by 6 July 2026.

Places on the programme are limited, so it is vital you register as soon as you can.

Completing and submitting a registration form confirms that you have read, understood, and will comply with the DfE grant funding agreement: terms and conditions.

The registration form asks you:

• how many places you expect to need and can support (up to a maximum of 2), for the 2026 to 2027 financial year
• your interest in additional places (beyond the 2 maximum)
• how many will be undertaking the LST apprenticeship
• how many will undertake a level 5, or higher, teaching qualification

We will review the registration form and email you to tell you if you are eligible for TTF 2026 funding.

TTF places are limited and subject to availability. While we try to accommodate all requests, we encourage early registration to maximise your chances of securing a place. If demand exceeds supply, we may allocate places based on the order of registration.

Recruit withdrawals

We are aware that some recruits that you plan to put through the TTF programme may leave during the funding period.

If the recruit leaves before you deliver any TTF support, you can ‘swap’ them for another eligible TTF recruit - for example, if a recruit leaves in September 2026 having not started their qualification and early career support, and a new eligible recruit starts later in the funding period such as December 2026.

The deadline for backfilling leavers is the last working day of January 2027. After this date new recruits will not be allowed to take the place of those who have left employment.

If the recruit has started their level 5, or higher, teaching qualification, or the LST apprenticeship, and has received some of the early career support before leaving, we will cover these costs but will recover any unspent funds for that recruit. See the potential recovery of unspent funds section for further details.

Grant payments

Your TTF 2026 payment will automatically be issued by DfE in March 2027 (subject to a signed grant funding agreement being in place).

Year 1 payment window

Grant payment will be made in March 2027.

Year 2 payment window

Grant payment will be made in March 2028.

Audit and assurance requirements

As there will be no claim process, we will undertake random sampling of a provider’s TTF spend. You should collect and retain evidence of TTF 2026 spend and related activities, such as invoices, and complete an early career support tracker in case you are selected for sampling. A sample tracker will be shared with you when we confirm your initial allocation,

As part of the assurance process, you will be asked for details about the recruits who have received TTF support, such as:

• their name
• their date of birth
• their gender
• their National Insurance number
• the subject area recruited to
• whether they are undertaking the level 5, or higher, teaching qualification or the LST apprenticeship

Auditing and assurance requirements differ depending on provider type.

Statutory FE providers (FE colleges, sixth-form colleges, land-based colleges, IALs)

For statutory providers, at the end of each year of grant funding, you will be required to complete a statement of grant usage, also known as an ‘Annex G (ii)’.

This must be completed and returned to DfE by 30 April 2027. A template for this will form part of your grant funding agreement.

Non-statutory providers (ITPs, employer providers, local authority providers, third sector training providers, adult and community learning providers, SPIs)

For non-statutory providers, at the end of each year of grant funding, you will be required to complete a statement of grant usage, also known as an ‘Annex G (i)’.

This must be completed by an independent auditor and returned to DfE by 30 June 2027 for year 1 funding and 30 June 2028 for year 2 funding. A template for this will form part of your grant funding agreement.

Potential recovery of unspent funds

If recruits do not start the programme, or leave part way through, we will try to recover any excess funding for the shortfall in recruits being supported through TTF, compared to the number of recruits that your allocation was based on.

As detailed in the recruit withdrawals section, if a recruit leaves during the TTF funding window, we will cover the TTF-related costs incurred, but will recover any unspent funds for that recruit.

Any recovery of funds will be actioned in the 2027 to 2028 financial year (for year 1 of the programme) following completion of the assurance arrangements.

Next steps

Once the registration window has closed on 6 July 2026, we will review all registration forms and, if you are eligible, aim to confirm your initial allocation by 31 July 2026.

We aim to confirm your final allocation of TTF 2026 places in autumn 2026. If, at this point, the number of places is below the maximum number of places available, we will contact providers on the reserve list.

Towards the end of the first calendar year, we will ask for confirmation of how many places have been utilised and issue grant offer letters (GOL) at that point. These must be signed and returned within the specified timeframe.

Once you have signed the GOL, you will be committed to your chosen TTF route, such as the level 5 DiT or LST apprenticeship, and will not be able to change or swap routes.

Grant funding will automatically be paid in March, subject to a signed grant funding agreement being in place.

If you have any questions, contact us at TTF.Enquiries@education.gov.uk.